“I have tremendous respect for Gov. Mike Pence. He has been an incredible leader for the state of Indiana. He has really demonstrated that when you cut taxes, when you reduce regulations, that jobs follow,” Cruz said.

Related Stories

GOP rival Donald Trump met with Pence last week, also courting the coveted endorsement. The Hoosier governor’s approval rating hovers around 50 percent, but he is still very popular among Republicans.

Indiana is considered a must-win for Cruz if he hopes to stop Trump from winning 1,237 delegates prior to the Republican convention.

The editors of National Review, which came out strongly against Trump’s candidacy in January, called on Pence to endorse Cruz earlier this week. In a piece titled “Ted Cruz and the Party Both Need Your Help, Governor Pence,” the editors wrote:

Advertisement - story continues below

“The stakes of next week’s Republican primary contest in Indiana could not be much higher. A Ted Cruz victory could make it all but impossible for Donald Trump to secure the nomination outright. A Trump victory could make it all but impossible for him not to.

“A coordinated, all-out anti-Trump effort of the sort seen in Wisconsin is in order. And that means that, like Scott Walker in the Badger State, Indiana governor Mike Pence needs to step up.”

Walker’s endorsement shortly before the Wisconsin primary on April 6 is credited with propelling Cruz to a come-from-behind victory.